JONES
,
MICHAEL
(d.
1649
),
soldier
,
was of
Irish
birth but
Welsh
family, being sixth in descent from
Gruffydd Derwas
,
lord of Nannau
and ancestor of the
family of
Nannau
(q.v.)
as well as (on the female side) of
JohnJones
the
regicide
(q.v.)
. His father,
Welsh
-born
LEWISJONES
(son of
John Wynn ap John
) went from
Merioneth
to
Brasenose College
,
Oxford
,
c.
1562
, proceeding straight from
B.A.
to a
Fellowship
of
All Souls
(
1569
), thence to
Ireland
, where he m. (
c.
1600
) a sister of
JamesUssher
(afterwards primate), and became successively
dean
of
Ardagh
(
co. Longford
)
1606-25
, and of
Cashel
(where he restored the
cathedral
),
1607
,
prebendary
of
Ely
,
1629-38
, and (despite
Laud
's dislike for his
Puritanism
)
bishop
of
Killaloe
from
1633
to his death on
2 Nov. 1646
, at the reputed age of 104. He was joined in
Ireland
by two brothers —
HENRYJONES
, whose son,
judgeOLIVERJONES
(d.
1682
), was the grandfather of
AnnJones
,
OliverGoldsmith
's mother, and
BRYANJONES
(d.
1671
) a
member of the Irish parliament
and founder of the still prominent
Irish
family of
Jones
of
Headfort
.
MichaelJones
was a younger son of the
bishop
, probably b. at
Ardagh
; he returned to
Ireland
from
Lincoln's Inn
(adm.
12 Jan. 1631
) to
enlist in the army
raised to combat the
Irish rebellion
of
1641
, but protesting against the truce of
1643
joined the
Roundhead forces
in
England
to fight its author,
Charles
I.
He operated as
colonel of horse
mainly on the
North Wales
border, beating back
PrinceMaurice
at
Holt bridge
in
March 1645
, and helping to negotiate the surrender of
Chester
(
1 Feb. 1646
) after joining
ThomasMytton
(q.v.)
to defeat relieving forces at
Denbigh
(
1 Nov. 1645
). He was
governor
of
Chester
from
6 Feb. until on 30 June
he was recommended to parliament as
commander-in-chief
for
Ireland
, and sent to renew the struggle there with the rank of
major-general
. He won a brilliant victory at
Dangan Hill
,
Antrim
(
8 Aug. 1647
), and, resisting
Ormonde
's appeal after the
king
's execution to join him and his new allies — the
Confederate Catholics
— in chastizing the executioners (
9 Mar. 1649
), he made possible
Cromwell
's landing in
Ireland
by crushing
Ormonde
's forces at
Rathmines
, near
Dublin
(
2 Aug. 1649
); but on
10 Dec
. he died of
fever
and was buried in
S. Mary
's Church,
Youghal
. He left a high reputation for personal gallantry and military skill. The £3,000
Irish
estate with which
Parliament
rewarded his widow, long in dispute, was seized by
Tyrconnel
in
1690
(leaving her destitute), while her adopted son
MICHAELJONES
(son of
HenryJones
,
bishop
of
Clougher
; see below) was fighting for
William
III.

Three other sons of
LewisJones
won distinction in
Ireland
.
HENRYJONES
(
1605
-
1682
) — ‘a man of great learning’ (
Strype
,
Parker
, I, xi) and a
pioneer of Gaelic studies
— succeeded him as
dean
of
Ardagh
(
1625
), became
bishop
of
Clougher
in
1645
, served
Cromwell
as
scoutmaster
when the episcopate was in suspense, but was nevertheless appointed
bishop
of
Meath
in
1661
.
SirTHEOPHILUSJONES
(d.
1685
) succeeded his brother
Michael
as
governor
of
Dublin
(
1649-59
), was an
Irish
member in
Cromwell's parliament
of
1656
, but co-operated with
Monck
to bring about the
Restoration
and was rewarded with the office of
scoutmaster general
to
Charles
II
(
1661
).
AMBROSEJONES
(d.
1678
) was made
bishop
of
Kildare
in
1667
.